Lord Jesus and Heavenly Father, thank you oh so much for the many, many blessings you've poured upon us all throughout this day. And now the awesome opportunity once again to get back to your word. Help us now as we do that. As we pray in Jesus' precious holy name, amen. Continuing our Bible study from A to Z in the word preach, we'll go to Luke in chapter seven. We can see here where the gospel is preached in chapter 7, picking it up in verse 11, where it reads, And it came to pass the day after that he went into a city called Nain, and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother. And she was a widow, and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier, and they that bear him stood still. He said, young man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak, and he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all, and they glorified God, saying, that a great prophet is risen up among us, and that God hath visited his people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea and throughout all the region round about. And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. And John calling unto him, two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist had sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard, how that to blind see the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And that's the key one there. To the poor the gospel is preached, and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. The gospel being preached by the Lord Himself, spreading the good news of salvation that is available to all mankind that come to Him. I now go to Luke in chapter 8. And it came to pass afterward that he went throughout every city and village preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna, the wife of Cusa, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance." So him and a whole group, including these ladies, going about. preaching the gospel right now go to luke and chapter nine and picking up verse one then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases and he sent them to preach the kingdom of god and to heal the sick And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves nor scrip, neither bread, neither money, neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. and whosoever will not receive you when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them." And they departed and went through the towns preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. sent them out and that's what apostle means one that has been sent out so he sent the disciples out they became apostles because they were sent out to preach the gospel to everyone and then further along in chapter 9 you can pick it up in verse 57 It reads, And it came to pass that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Giving them those instructions, get their priorities straight and commit and spread the gospel and preach the kingdom and share it with others. Luke chapter 11, pick it up here in verse 29. And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation. They seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas, the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonas. And behold, a greater than Jonah's is here. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when thou eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light. But when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body, therefore, be full of light, having no part of dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doeth give thee light. And the light that Jesus Christ can give us, we are instructed to open up, to share, to bless, to preach, to teach. And that light that He gives us, He can give us so much light that it can shine through us into those around so that they can see the pathway to come to the Lord and be forgiven. and be born again, adopted into the family, all as a result of the preaching and teaching and the sharing of the gospel, the good news of salvation. I now go to Luke in chapter 20 where it reads, and it came to pass that on One of those days, as he taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders and spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that giveth thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing and answer me, the baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then believed ye him not? But, and if we say of men, all the people will stone us, for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered that they could not tell whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. What authority? Which is awesome that we have been given authority, been given the commission to go out and preach and teach, to share the gospel, to spread the word, to share the blessings that He has given us. That authority has been given to us directly by the Lord. And the Lord has all authority because that's what Lord means, ultimate authority. So therefore He had that authority from everlasting. And now go to Luke in chapter 24. See here, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Him appearing to the disciples and others, to over 500 at one time, but here we see in Luke chapter 24, picking it up in verse 36, And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit, and he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb, and he took it and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I have spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me. the fulfilled prophecies that they had been taught, that he had told them over and over about his resurrection from the grave. That's what he's referring to there. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. That is so awesome. that that opening came directly from the Lord to those disciples and that we are given understanding of his scriptures. As we listen, as we apply what he blesses us with and gives us, then it multiplies even that much more. We just merely need to be completely submissive and humble and come to the Lord and ask for such wisdom and understanding so that we can properly preach the gospel. As it continues here in verse 46, And he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." Of course, he's talking about being indwelt with the Holy Ghost. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in this temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. it was forty days from the time he raised from the grave to the time he ascended up to the father and we see that in verse fifty where he led them out as far as Bethany and lifted up his hands and blessed them and he was and he came to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into heaven and then in Acts we see some more details about that ascension. and he gives them the blessing of the indwelling spirit of the Holy Ghost that he referred to there in Luke. And then comes the full understanding of all the prophecies and all of the teaching that the Lord had taught them and of all that they had experienced and seen. They became fully aware and enlightened and then took all that knowledge and all of that and began to preach and teach and spread the gospel as he had instructed them to do. Like it said in Acts chapter 1, in verse 8, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. That was the commission, that was Teledim. when they receive that, they're going to be filled with so much knowledge and wisdom and understanding and boldness and strength and courage and take that and put it to work and go about and preach and teach the gospel. as we see some more references to the word preach and preacher and preaching in Acts chapter 3. This is after they've received the Holy Ghost and doing some preaching and teaching. And here in chapter 3, picking it up in verse 19, some preaching here by Peter and John, where he says in verse 19, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. The Lord has sent it up to the Heavenly Father and will come down to end the tribulation and start the Millennial Kingdom. And that's what he's referring to there. As it continues, for Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me. Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you, and it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you, first God, having raised up his son Jesus, Send him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Turning away from it. That's what repentance is, to turn away from something. So we need to repent, turn away from our sins, from our actions and behaviors and thoughts and desires of the past, and be looking forward to spreading the gospel. sharing the blessings, right into Acts chapter 4. And as they spake unto the people, the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And he laid hands on them and put them in hold until the next day, for it was now even time. How be it? Many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of the men was about 5,000. About 5,000 folks coming to the Lord, believing the gospel, believing the preaching as a result of that preaching from Peter and John. A wonderful outcome right there. All right, now go to Acts in chapter 5, another use here, Acts chapter 5, picking it up in verse 12, it reads, And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch, and of the rest durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and them that were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one. Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, saying, the prison truly found we shut with all safety. and the keepers standing without before the doors. But when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then went the captain and the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest asked them, saying, Did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel. and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them. Then stood there up one of the counsel a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space, and said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Thaddeus, boasting himself to be somebody to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to naught. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him, he also perished, and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, refrain from these men, and let them alone. For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed. And when they had called the apostles and beaten them, They commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." So even with the persecutions, even with the problems, even with the threat of of incarceration and stoning and everything else to come their way. They still stood on what he said there in verse 29. Peter and other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men. And that's where we all find ourselves, or should find ourselves, is standing boldly and proclaiming that we ought to obey God rather than men. Now we are supposed to be law-abiding, individuals in the world. Yes, not to be troublemakers, not to be rioters, not to be stirring up chaos and discord. But when it comes to the comparison of what is most important, what is the top priority, obey God over men. But it is the will of God that we be good, law-abiding citizens. but the laws that are written or proposed that are against the law of God. Christians are exempt to follow those according to what he says right here. We ought to obey God rather than men. Thank the Lord that we live in a Christian nation where we can still freely and openly preach and teach and gather together and worship. And we are very thankful for that. So we have the opportunity to preach and teach and spread the gospel. So we should do what he told his disciples there, to go to Everywhere go everywhere and preach and teach spread the gospel Teach it and help others to understand it because it's so important that we do that very thing is to preach the gospel just like we've read earlier and like it says the Great Commission there in Mark chapter 16 and Verse 15 and he said unto them go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature All the world preach the gospel. He's gonna give us the understanding. He's gonna give us the boldness the willingness the drive the ambition The goals to set he's gonna provide all that for us Let's just listen up to the Lord Stay in his perfect will and preach the gospel to the entire world. Let's pray Lord Jesus and Heavenly Father, we thank you oh so much for the time you've given us to be able to get into your word, to study a little bit, to be motivated to get on out there and preach the gospel and help all of us be so motivated to do that very thing day by day as the opportunity comes our way as we pray in Jesus' precious holy name. Amen. Thank y'all.